


The Chocolate Horse

by c00kie



Series: Neighbors [2]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-06 10:53:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1105956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c00kie/pseuds/c00kie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben tries to come up with the perfect Christmas present for Leslie while also thinking about his future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Chocolate Horse

**Author's Note:**

> For Ash. Beta by Stillscape

The first time Ben thinks about proposing to Leslie is when they're lying in her twin bed in her dorm room, trying to keep their giggles and whispers low so they don't wake up her roommate. It's impossible though, when her fingers are tickling his belly. He grabs her wrist and pushes her into the mattress, swallowing her laughter. When the kiss ends, he raises his head and looks down at her, taking in her flushed cheeks and content smile and thinks he could spend the rest of his life looking at that face. But then her fingers thread through the back of his hair and pulls him down and he forgets everything except his name. The next time Ben thinks about it is during his last final before winter break. He blames fatigue, but he swears question ten says, "When are you going to ask Leslie to marry you?" instead of "name five kinds of metamorphic rock." 

He almost writes down, "In a year or two." After they have jobs and have lived together for at least a year. His parents married right out of college and now they can't be in the same room together without bloodshed. 

The thought lingers though, because in a lot of ways is a valid question. Sure, they've talked a little bit about their plans, how they want to live in Pawnee after they graduate and her desire to work in government, and he knows he wants to be with Leslie forever, wants to stand by her side when she's inaugurated and kiss her goodnight every night of their lives, help raise their children, and he's almost sure Leslie wants that too. It's matter of timing, he thinks. And right now isn't the right time. 

The third time it comes up, it's his friend's fault. He's standing in Andy's living room, pacing with his hands clasped behind his back. "Your mission, gentlemen, ladies," he nods at Andy and Tom and at Ann, April and Donna, "if you choose to accept it, is to help me think of the perfect gift to get Leslie for Christmas." 

They all speak at once. 

"Lingerie." 

"A manicure set." 

"One of those giant chocolate raccoons." 

"An engagement ring." 

"A pretty scarf." 

"A fondue pot!" 

"A taxidermied cat." 

"A new phone!" 

"A Barbie dream house." 

Ben holds out his hand. "Barbie dream house? Really?" He asks Andy, who grins and shrugs. 

"They look fun." 

Ben sighs. "Those ideas are are horrible." 

"I don't know," Ann says, somewhat cross, "I think mine was good." 

"Mine was better." 

Ann looks at Donna. "What did you say?" 

"An engagement ring." 

"Oh!" Ann's eyes widen and she turns to Ben, nodding frantically. "That is better! You should do that. And you should put it in the scarf!" 

"Better yet, put the ring and the scarf in the fondue pot!" 

Ben looks over at Andy. "Giant chocolate raccoon huh?" 

"Don't tell us you haven't thought about it," Donna says, giving Ben a knowing look like she can read his secrets on his skin. 

"No," but it comes out too hesitant, too soft. 

"You have!" Ann hops in her seat, pointing. "You have thought about it!" 

Ben shakes his head. "What? No. I don't know what you're talking about." Why was he even asking them for advice anyway? He's great at presents. He's a freaking Jedi of present giving. He doesn't need any help. 

The next day Ben finds himself staring at a plate of pancakes while Leslie and Ann talk across from him. Leslie's foot is hooked around his ankle, a reminder that she might be talking with her best friend, but she is, as Chris would say, "literally" hooked on him. But then her foot disappears and she taps Ann on the shoulder. "I have to use the whiz palace." 

Ann slides out of the booth, letting Leslie out. She sits back down and Ben watches as Ann looks over his shoulder at Leslie as she makes her way to the restroom. 

"Okay," she says, and Ben doesn't even have to look behind him to know Leslie's gone. "Did you get Leslie a ring?" 

Ben rubs his hand over his face. "I'm not going to propose." 

"That's ridiculous," she says, waving her fork in his face. He leans back, to avoid being stabbed. 

Ben doesn't ask why she thinks it's ridiculous. "I would think you'd agree with me. It's too soon." 

"For anyone else, yes." Ann shrugs. "But you and Leslie are freaking soulmates and if you don't you'll regret it. It's like this Lifetime movie I watched last semester where these two people were engaged but then his long lost twin brother murdered him and took his place and the girl never knew and fifteen years later she found a ton of porn on her son's computer." 

Ben doesn't listen past "Lifetime move" because all he can think about is the possibility of losing Leslie. "Wait, has Leslie said something? Does she want to break up with me? Did she meet someone? She did, didn't she? I knew it." 

"No." Ann's stare is ruthless. "Stop panicking. Leslie hasn't met anyone else and she wouldn't even notice if she did. She's nuts about you." 

Ann's words do little to appease Ben though. 

"You proposing to neighbor girl?" 

Ben slams his book shut and looks up at Henry. He's leaning against the doorway to Ben's room, his arms folded against his chest. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" 

"Are you?" 

"No." 

Henry walks up to Ben, clasping his fingers around Ben's shoulders. "Ben, if you want to keep it, you gotta put a ring on it." 

He's halfway out into the parking lot with a chocolate horse when he turns back around and marches back into the mall and into the first jewelry store he sees. He freezes at the sight of all the cases full of glittering jewelry. A man dressed in a nice suit that Tom would no doubt approve of approaches him, a smile pasted to his overly tanned face. 

"May I help you, sir?" 

"I uh, I wanted to look at some jewelry for my girlfriend." He reads the man's name tag and adds, "Brad." 

"Excellent, sir. What do you think she would like? A necklace perhaps?" 

"Uh, sure." Ben sticks his hands in his pockets and follows the salesman over to the necklaces where he looks at fifteen different ones including a couple with her birthstone before sighing and telling Brad he doesn't think a necklace is right. 

"I'm sure we will find something your girlfriend will love. Perhaps a tennis bracelet or a watch?" 

"She's not really a tennis bracelet person," Ben says, looking around the store hoping that the perfect gift will appear. His eyes land on the diamond engagement rings. 

Unfortunately, Brad sees this and asks, "Would you like to look at our engagement rings?" 

For a minute Ben thinks it wouldn't hurt to just look at them, but he comes to his senses. "Oh uh, no thanks." Ben quickly looks away from the ring display. "I think I'll just stick with what I got. Sorry for wasting your time." 

"Please come back if you change your mind." Brad gives Ben his business card and it occurs to Ben he's probably not the first loser college student with a girlfriend that's stepped into the store today, nor will he be the last. 

"I'm sorry," Ben says again, sticking the card into his pocket. He starts to walk out but some invisible force stops him. 

"Sir?" Brad asks, and Ben's aware all the other sales reps and costumers are staring at him, but he's in the middle of an epiphany. 

"I love her." It's meant for himself, and no one questions it. "And she loves me. And we've already been together for over five years, and that's longer than my parents were." Decision made, he turns around and meets Brad's eyes. 

"Show me your non-conflict diamonds." 

"So," Ben starts, trying to be as casual as possible as he and Leslie watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation in her living room, her legs draped over his, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair, "do you know what you want for Christmas?" 

She laughs, but he can't tell if it's at him or at the antics on the screen. "It's three days away. You still haven't bought me a present?" 

"No, I mean I have something," Ben says, thinking about the velvet box tucked away in his underwear drawer. "but I want, you know, to make sure-" 

"I will love whatever you get me," Leslie says, giving Ben a quick kiss that soon turns to several, ending with him underneath her, lips seeking lips until her mom comes home and Ben ends up pushing Leslie off in a panic. He and Leslie might be adults but it doesn't stop him from feeling like a teenager every time Marlene catches them making out. 

Marlene rolls her eyes. "Are you staying for dinner, Ben?" 

He looks at Leslie, who beams and nods her head. "We're having enchiladas." 

"Cool." 

After dinner they slip on their coats and gloves and go for a walk around the neighborhood, pointing out the houses with decorations and noting the tackiest ones. 

"Are those reindeer doing it?" 

Leslie looks over at the plastic statues and laughs. "I think so. But at least they're happy. Look at that smile on Rudolph's face." 

Ben laughs, bumping her shoulder with his. "Are uh, you happy? 

"I'm very happy. Are you?" 

"More than I can express." Ben cups her chin and strokes her face with his thumb. "No complaints." 

"That's good," she says, right as a snowflake lands on her nose. He bends down and kisses it off her. She giggles, slipping her hands underneath his coat and around his back. 

"I love you and I like you." 

"I love you and I like you." 

On Christmas morning Ben gives Leslie her chocolate horse and is rewarded with frantic kisses that shake him to his core and a replica of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, Star Wars Catan and a whispered promise in his ear that she's going to call him Captain Picard when they're alone tonight. 

He thinks about the ring still in his room, about going to get it, but her mom is upstairs and it doesn't feel like the right moment. 

He starts carrying the ring in his pocket. Just in case. 

On New Year's they watch fireworks on a blanket in Harvey James Park, splitting a bottle of champagne between them. At midnight he licks the champagne off her lips. 

The ring stays in his pocket. 

Leslie goes back to school a week before him. He helps pack her car up and after the last box is in, he shuts her trunk and turns around only to see her crying. 

"What is it?" 

"I'm going to miss you so much." 

Ben bites his lip to contain his smile and gathers Leslie into his arms. "I'm gonna miss you too. But I'll see you soon and when the semester is over we'll have…" he stops, noticing the look on Leslie's face. "What?" 

Her hand is touching the box. "What is this?" 

"It's-" Ben stops, frozen as she takes the box out of his coat. He wants to close his eyes, to will the earth to swallow him up, but all he can do is watch as she opens it up and gasps. 

"This is a ring." 

"Yeah." 

"Were you going to?" She waves her hand. "Ask?" 

Ben slides his fingers through his hair and sighs. "No." 

"Oh." Is that disappointment he hears? 

"Ann and Donna freaked me out." Saying it, he realizes it's a terrible explanation. "I bought because I want to be with you. Forever. But I wasn't going to propose yet. I thought maybe after graduation?" He looks at her to gauge her reaction but all she does is blink. "And I'm really just carrying it around to get used having it with me. I now realize that's stupid, considering you just found it." He shut up and waits for her response. A tear falls but given she's been crying he doesn't know what it means. 

"Yes." 

Ben falls against her car, his knees giving out on him. "Yes I'm stupid, or yes-" 

"Yes I'll marry you." 

His breath gets stuck in his throat. "I didn't ask." 

She puts the box in his palm, closing his fingers around it. "So ask." 

Ben looks around. They're in her driveway. He's dressed in jeans with holes in the knees and his favorite t shirt and black hoodie and she has on pink sweatpants and an Indiana University sweatshirt. He's sure that his brother and sister are spying on them from his house. 

"Here?" He can't do it here. One does not simply propose to Leslie Knope. "I'm not proposing in your driveway, Knope." 

"Okay," she says after a minute. "But just so you know, I'm taking it with me and I'm putting it on and I'm telling everyone at school I'm engaged to the man with the cutest butt in the world so you might as well-" 

He cuts her off with a hard kiss and falls to his knee.


End file.
